The ICE Assassin: Son of The Gods
by Agent Grant Douglas Ward
Summary: When Prometheus made Man, he envisioned a brilliant future for all humanity. He was forced to relinquish his dreams as the Titans enslaved his creations. After many millennia and godly wars, Prometheus foresaw the Birth of a new age, a golden age. Prometheus marked the harbinger of the new age and waited patiently for the first stone to be cast. This is the story of the harbinger.
1. A Heartfelt Confession

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

****A HEARTFELT CONFESSION  
******(PERCY)**

It's Sunday afternoon and I am trying to sleep but someone keeps poking my face with their finger. Out of frustration, I open one eye and see my dear older sister (note the sarcasm) sitting opposite me. She is dressed in her pj's with her raven black hair in a side swept braid framing her heart shaped face and has a hairbrush in her hand that reminds me of the incident with RED and Luke. I groan mentally and physically as Alexis is too stubborn to just let me get back to my oh so precious sleep. I slowly sit up as she shoves my pillow at me and takes up a place on my bed beside me. I look at her and say, "Lexi, what happened now? You know I was getting some sleep before I have to go on a date with Wise Girl." She looks at me for a minute and then says, "Nothing happened, little Bro. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me and being a good brother for these 2 years. I know most siblings are competitive and annoying but you have been encouraging and kind. I can never repay you." As she said those words, I thought that she was joining the hunters and she didn't want to leave without telling me. I'll admit that at first when we rescued Alexis from the Lotus Casino, I thought that my elder sister would hate me. She was born 17 years before me but was trapped in the casino for almost 17 years, making us about the same physical age. I was scared that she would see me as an enemy and antagonize me but she proved me wrong. We became best friends quickly. Despite the mental age difference, we behave like regular siblings. Since we look almost identical, we play a lot of pranks on people too. We have successfully pulled many pranks across CHB and CJ. We are second only to the Stoll Brothers. The thought of her leaving is painful. I wipe a stray tear off my cheek and say, "Lexi, If you are joining the hunters, I will not stop you. I will always be there for you as your brother. You don't have to worry about me."

She looks at me weirdly and says, "Perc, I am not joining the hunters. What makes you think I want to join them? Thalia herself is planning on quitting because of her 'subtle' crush on death breath. I can not handle being an immortal nun. Besides who would give the Stolls any competition, if I left?" I chuckle at her words and throw my pillow at her. I start hitting her with the pillow as she is ROBL(rolling on the bed laughing) and say, "Oh my Gods, what was that about? You gave this emo speech about me being there and all. I was worried that you were going to leave or die. Are you OK?" She laughs for a minute before she sees me pouting and puts on a semi serious face. She says, "Of course I am Ok. I just want to tell you something and I don't know how to tell you." I sit beside her and say, "Lexi, you can tell me anything. I wouldn't get angry or judge you for it. We know everything about each other. We are family and we will always be there for each other." She looks at me for a second and says, "Percy, you are my brother and I love you." I reply, "I love you too, Sis." She chuckles darkly before saying, "That's the thing. I love you more than a sister should. I love you like no sister must ever love her brother. You are everything to me. I don't want anyone else to have you. I want you to be mine and mine alone. I don't want to see you get hurt by others."

When she finishes, she looks at me expectantly. I am shocked. My sister or half-sister is in love with me. I can't betray my Wise Girl but I can't break my sister's heart and our relationship.  
I regain my composure and say, "Lexi, I love you as my sister. You know my fatal flaw and you know that it will never let me cheat on or betray someone. I can't do that to Annabeth. I don't know what to tell you." I look at her and see tears glistening in her ocean blue eyes. I hug her and try to calm her down. After a while, she sniffs and says, "Perc, they are all using you. The demigods, all of them. I don't want you to get hurt. I can prove it to you that they will discard you as trash when they are done with you. I see the way Annabeth looks at you. It's only because she thinks you are the current big 'thing'. Just let me prove it to you and then you make your decision, Ok?" Her terms were fairly reasonable, so I agree and tell her that she has one week to prove the fact or we forget the entire event and move on. She then tells me her plan to spread rumours about me and test their trust in me. We both swear on the Styx, not to disrupt or reveal the plan until the week is over.  
After we plan everything, I get ready for my date and Lexi tells me she is tired and is going to bed after dinner. I get ready while she has dinner and once she returns, I tuck her in, wish her Good Night and leave for my date.


	2. The Ugly Truth

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**THE UGLY TRUTH  
**(PERCY)

As I am heading for the date, I get a bad feeling about this whole agreement. Before I can ponder on that, I see Lady Artemis walking towards me. Over the years after the 2nd Gigantomachy, Lady Artemis and I became acquaintances of sorts. I frequently help abused demigods and mortals find their way to the hunt. Lady Artemis removed the curse of the children of the sea, off me as a sign of respect and gratitude. I reassured her that my actions were not worthy but she insisted. So everyday to show my gratitude to her, I spend time at the archery range. Over the past year and a half, I have become a decent shot. We even go hunting together sometimes to work on my skills. Anyways, back to the present, I see Lady Artemis approach me and I bow slightly. Once she reaches me, I stand up and ask, "Lady Artemis, how may I be of assistance to you?" she narrows her eyes at me and says, "Drop the charade, _Perseus_. I believe I asked you to call me Artemis, that is if you wish to remain human." I gulp and groan at the same time causing her to chuckle and say, "So how are you, _Perseus_? Something seems to be bothering you." I whine and say, "I called you Lady only once. Do you have to keep calling me that?" She smirks and replies, "Whatever do you mean, _Perseus_? Now stop trying to avoid the question. " I just sigh and say, "My sister revealed something to me that I cannot believe is true. She promised to prove it to me too. I cannot tell you the exact details because we swore on the Styx."

She looks thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Be careful, Perseus. Your fatal flaw is the deadliest flaw for a reason. It will destroy you rather than the world. Don't lose yourself. I would not like to turn one of the world's decent men into a jack-elope. I must go to my hunters now. But heed my warning." After giving me the cryptic warning/message, Lady Artemis left to go to her cabin. I continue to head towards the Athena cabin to meet Wise Girl.

Time Skip [A Week Later]

I am sitting on the beach thinking of the train wreck of a week I have had. Apparently Lexi was right. The cabin counsellors voted me out of the position and gave it to Lexi. They then slowly started distancing themselves from me. All the Greeks abandoned me. I occasionally called the Romans but they are busy with their own lives. Now I have only Lexi and my Wise Girl left here. However, even Lexi is distancing herself from me. She isn't openly mocking me but I overheard her viciously ridicule me when she thought I wasn't around. Today is the last day of the week and it feels slightly less painful knowing that atleast one person didn't abandon me. It's almost 2045 Hrs and curfew starts at 2400 Hrs. I am going to go visit Wise Girl before going to bed. As I am walking across the beach towards the cabins, I see a couple making out on the beach. I am about to ignore them and walk away when I recognize the girl as my girlfriend. The boy seems to be some camper from the Hecate cabin. I stop as the truth hits me. My sister was right. She used me for fame. The pain of all the betrayals becomes overwhelming as the waves strike the beach with enough fervor to erode a portion of the shore instantly. My heart feels constricted and my blood becomes agonizingly cold as the waves engulf me in a cocoon and the wave of emotions from my broken heart cause the waters to freeze, trapping me in the cocoon. As my eyes get heavy, the only thought in my head is, '_You were right, sister. I am sorry. I have failed you.' _After a few seconds, my eyes close as I succumb to the darkness.

Alexis POV:

I feel bad for doing this but I have to prove to my brother that the demigods didn't care for him. That _she_ didn't care for him. Then he will be mine and mine alone. Well he was pretty good friends with Lady Artemis and that itself is saying something. There are rumors from the hunt that they even spend time together, hunting and killing monsters, once in a while when the hunt is at camp. But that will mostly not be an issue with Artemis being a maiden goddess and all. I watched through the week as his 'friends' abandoned him. Our own cousins, Nico, Thalia, all of them scoffed and mocked him. I kept my distance from him to give him space. I found out that a few Hecate campers mimicked my voice and convinced my brother that I too had betrayed him. They belittled him and blamed him for all the conflicts. I wanted to end this but I knew that both my brother and I had no choice but to let this play out. Today being the last day, I watched him as he spent the last few hours on the beach, watching the tides flood and ebb. I want to run over, hug and comfort him and tell him the wretched campers' plan to see his downfall but I know he needs his space. He needs time to process the truth.

I watch as he gets up and heads towards me or rather the cabins. I see him notice his girlfriend cheating on him. I see his eyes swirl with sadness and pain. I watch in awe as the waves respond to my brother's agony and eat away a portion of the beach. The water engulfs him in a cocoon as the wave of emotions emanating from him freezes the water and traps him. I hear his last thought through the empathy link before he blacks out. '_You were right, sister. I am sorry. I have failed you.'_ Oh brother, you could never fail me. I will always be here for you, waiting till the time you are ready. The scared couple finally gather their senses and rush towards the cabins. They instantly begin scandalising the story and spreading rumors about my brother cheating on _he_r with a merwoman and attempting to destroy camp. I ignore their petty attempts at fame and deception and watch as the waves ebb from the cocoon leaving it on the solid ground. I can only watch helplessly as the earth swallows the cocoon, taking my brother and love along with it.


	3. A Mysterious Man In Rome

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**A MYSTERIOUS MAN IN ROME  
**(3rd Person)

In the endless vacuum of space, on an isolated planet stands a man with gleaming eyes that seemed to accommodate the entire universe. He watches with sadness as a block of ice sinks into the ground far far away. He closes his eyes and chants a verse in Latin,

_Non fiat memoria Filii Graecia_  
_Ipse Romam ortus est filius Caelorum. _  
_Orior, Filius Deorum ._

(Translation :  
Let there be no remembrance of the Son of Greece,  
He was born in Rome, the son of the heavens.  
Rise, son of the gods.)

As the strange man utters those words, a purple haze surrounds the mortal denizens of the planet Earth and the stories of the legendary son of Posiedon are forgotten. A mortal legend is erased as another is born. The memories of the gods, halfbloods and monsters are altered to fit the narrative that Perseus Jackson was born as Aaron Jackson, a Roman demigod son of Neptune who was abandoned by his mother. He was adopted by the least likely couple, Lord Jupiter and Lady Juno. The young demigod was sent to the wolf house and under guidance from Lady Lupa, the mother of Rome, joined the 12th Legion in New Rome. Along with his brother, Jason, Aaron quickly rose to fame and legend as the defender of New Rome and the defeater of Lord Saturn himself. For his service to the legion and his role in the wars, Aaron earned the title 'The Roman Legionnare' and 'Filius Deorum'. Thus the legacies of Perseus were forged onto his Roman counterpart, Aaron.

The man seems satisfied with his work and flicks his wrist and watches as a sunken ice block resurfaces in California. The ice melts to reveal the sleeping form of the Roman legionnare. The man disappears from his location and reappears next to the sleeping hero. He gently lifts the boy and places him on a mattress in his newly constructed room in the barracks. The peculiar man looks around one last time before disappearing in a swirl of stars and shadows. Unknown to the mysterious man, a girl with ocean blue eyes and raven black hair sees brief flashes of sea green eyes occasionally.

Time Skip: The Next Morning.

Jason POV :

I woke up today morning with one hell of a headache. I reach the dining sector to see the legion and the campers having their food and chatting amongst themselves. My fellow praetor and friend, Reyna, seems lost in thought as she absent-mindedly twirls a noodle on her plate. I sit down opposite her and ask, "Reyna, what is the matter? You seem lost in thought." She seems taken aback for a second before regaining her composure and saying, "Hey Jason. I didn't see you. I was thinking about the Greeks. Since the war with Terra is over, I think we should end our relations while they are still diplomatic. Most members of the legion and New Rome don't trust the Greeks. I want to ask your brother but he is nowhere to be found. How is it that he is so popular and yet he is virtually impossible to locate or talk to?" I know her frustration stems from the temporary alliance with the Greeks. It's been almost 3 years after the war with Terra and the alliance still exists. Most of the legionnaires hate the Greeks because of their lack of discipline and respect. It is only a matter of time before the alliance crumbles and we are threatened with yet another war. The reason for the alliance being Lady Juno's gambit to exchange campers from both camps worked out well as a Greek son of Pluto and I lost our memories and were placed in each other's camps.

My thoughts were interrupted as my brother dressed in black camo pants with black combat boots and a blue shirt with a silver trim on the shoulders entered the dining sector. His hair was short yet unruly and his eyes were swirling patterns of sea green, blue, brown and silver. He is not biologically my brother but he is a son of Neptune adopted by my father, Lord Jupiter and my stepmother and patron, Lady Juno. He is also the closest I have to a family, apart from my sister who is Greek. We do everything together, from training to pranking. He made his way over to us and plopped himself down next to me. He looks at me mischievously and asks, "well, dear brother, how are you? I hear you have gotten a girlfriend." Every day he does this, Piper and I have been dating for 3 years and still he does this bit. I would be mad but I know just the buttons to push to turn this on him. I smirk at him and say, "Why yes brother. I do have a girlfriend but the real question is will you ever get a girlfriend?" He gives me a mock hurt look, puts his hands over his heart and dramatically says, "Why brother? Why do you wound me so? Why have you forsaken me to seek another? I will never forget you." By now the surrounding tables are watching us and are laughing amongst themselves. Leave it to my brother to turn everything into a joke.

After breakfast, we go for training as usual and then to lunch. Today being the eve of the feast of Fortuna, the senate holds a meeting at 1800 Hrs and as praetor my attendance is mandatory. I finish my daily duties and walk into the senate with Reyna at 1800 Hrs. The senate discusses various issues regarding the legion as well as the city of New Rome itself. As the senate meeting comes to an end, the augur of the legion, Octavian announces that he has received a decree from the gods for a quest. He read the following prophecy for the quest.  
'_The hero son of the heaven & seas,_  
_Shall lead the favoured trio due east, _  
_Symbol of the sun shall be retrieved,_  
_But one death must cease, _  
_Lest the horizon shall unfurl.'_

Following his announcement, Aaron was summoned and the prophecy repeated. He agreed to lead the quest with his quest members being me and Frank, a respected son of Mars and fellow member of the prophecy of 7. The senate was then in uproar about sending a praetor as well as both honorary praetors on a quest, leaving an imbalance of power. After a lot of cajoling, mostly by Aaron, the senate finally relented that the prophecy from the gods could not be ignored as it would be a sign of disrespect. If Aaron wasn't a son of Neptune, one would mistake him for a son of Venus due to his silver tongue. As the meeting concluded, the three of us planned to meet up at the Little Tiber at 0600 Hrs to leave for our quest. I head to my quarters to bid goodbye to my girlfriend as well as get a good night's sleep.


	4. A Forlorn Quest

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**A FORLORN QUEST  
**(Jason)

After getting up at 0500 Hrs and preparing, we finally gather at the Tiber to leave for the quest. Many of the campers and legionnaires have come to bid us farewell. There is a lot of anxiety in the air due to the words of the prophecy. Even though none of us are willing to say it, we are all worried for my brother. The children of Lord Phoebus in the legion have said that a sense of doom surrounds my brother. The prophecy said that one death shall seize. But Octavian persists that the word is misinterpreted and it is cease. Nevertheless I am not going to let my brother die on my watch. After all the goodbyes are done, we slowly head east towards the San Francisco pier.

When we get there, we see an old homeless man looking at my brother with pity. I take a step towards the man but am stopped by Frank. He says, "That is Nereus, Jason. Don't let appearances fool you. He cannot be caught easily." My brother adds, "Frank is right, Jason. He seems to be looking at me alone. I think he either wants something or wants to tell me something. Either way, I am going to use the mist to make it seem like I am heading towards him from the front but I will block him from behind while you two flank him." I and Frank slowly flank Nereus on opposite directions as 'Aaron' walks towards him. Nereus slowly edges backwards towards the pier but before he can jump, my brother catches him in a head lock from behind. Nereus wiggles trying to break free and my brother seems to be having trouble holding him in the lethal position, so I grab his limbs and hold on while Frank looks out for possible enemies. After some creative cursing, Nereus finally stops struggling and says, "alright, sons of Jupiter. I shall answer a question for you. But choose wisely." Before I can question Nereus about my brother's safety, Aaron asks, "Where is the lost symbol of the sun?" Nereus replies, "Ah, the legendary son of Juno, Jupiter and Neptune. Always one for duty I see. Despite the impending sense of doom coursing through you, you remain steadfast to help the Gods, no wonder you and your brother stand favored amongst the council and the Gods themselves. Very well, the lost symbol you seek is hidden in hands of a demigod, who is captured by a Titan. The symbol heals her as she is tortured by her burden but you are running out of time. You must go north to the face the General. There you shall find the symbol." My brother releases his hold on him but I still hold his limbs and ask, "What do you mean my brother is doomed?" Aaron looks at me sadly and says, "It's alright brother. Worry not, we shall return the symbol to Lord Phoebus and go home. Nereus is bound to answer only one question, he cannot answer another."

Nereus looks between my brother and I and says, "I admire your honor and integrity, son of Juno. But the son of Jupiter caught me as well. So I shall graciously answer this question." I look at Nereus disbelievingly as he says, "Your worry for your brother is touching but not baseless. He is to face the mighty General in combat again. That is not the only thing, his fate is clouded but one thing is clear. He shall make a choice to face a fate worse than death and a journey filled with insurmountable odds or abandon the Gods and their children to their fate. He shall face immense pain and suffering but will not have the reprieve of death. May the Gods be with you, children of Rome."

Nereus wriggles out of my grip and walks away as his words send me into a shock. Frank looks at my brother and me with sadness while my brother tries to look stoic but is incredibly pale. My brother regains some of his color and says, "Jason, it's alright, brother. I won't abandon you, our parents or my friends. If something happens on this quest, I want you to know that I love and care for you as my brother. If I don't make it, I want you tell my parents that I am grateful to them and will always cherish and love them, no matter what. Tell our fellow Romans that I care for each of them as my brother and sister and I am honored to be given the title, The Roman Legionnaire. We are Romans and we shall stand tall to face our enemies with honor, courage and bravery. So come one let's get to Mount Tamalpais and finish this quest." After my brother's rousing speech, we head towards Richardson Bay marina on a stolen boat. Once we reach the marina, we slowly make our way towards Mt. Tam. I have a bad feeling as the monster attacks kept reducing in number as we headed towards the mountain. When we finally reach the mountain, the Hesperides refuse us entrance to the cliff saying that we are going to steal the apples. After my brother tricks them into letting us passage, we reach the cliff to see a horrible sight.

Hundreds and thousands of monsters are gathered around as Atlas sits on a rock glaring at us. He gets up and says, "Why hello, demigods. It's time you got here. We have been patiently waiting for your arrival. We knew those stupid gods would send their children to retrieve 'a symbol of power'. You shall be the first blood spilt in a new war. These deplorable demigods here couldn't hold the sky for long, so we had to use the supposed symbol of power to heal the last remaining one. But now you shall take their place while the remainder of my army marches on that pathetic camp of yours." My brother pulls out his gladius and parma while we mirror his action. My brother hurriedly whispers to us, "Frank, take the laurel wreath that is next to Atlas while I distract him. Then shift into a bird and fly back to camp to warn the legion of the attack. Jason, you handle the monsters so they don't skewer us." Saying this my brother challenges Atlas by wounding his pride and they begin their battle. Frank silently heads for the laurel wreath while I hold off the monsters around us. Frank grabs the wreath and shifts into an eagle as he soars away to warn the camp. I shoot lightning at the dracanae that try to fire arrows at his retreating form. After an intense fight with the monsters including a few such as hellhounds and cyclops, I glance at my brother to see an incredible sight, my brother is surrounded by a thin layer of ice that seems like an armor and lightning flashes across his glaius and parma as the winds howl around him. My daze is broken as I see a Cyclopes aim a pilum at my brother's heart. I know the pilum won't kill him but the distraction will lead to his demise at the hands of Atlas. Instinctively I jump in front of the pilum and deflect it but it results in my gladius being knocked out of my hand. I hear a scream of pain from under the sky and remember that the wreath was healing the captured demigod before we took it.  
\- - - - - - -

Aaron's POV :

A blood curling scream erupts from someone on my right, but I can't do anything as I am stuck battling the Titan general, Lord Atlas. My clothes are covered in dirt and blood, both mortal and ichor. The Titan lord in front of me seems to be almost as battered as me. Keyword being _almos_t. The Titan of endurance and strength feints a jab at my midsection but I realize it too late as the spear swerves to my left and is swung at my head. I barely dodge the fatal strike as the impact of the strike sends me flying into the source of the scream. I turn to see a petite girl around my age with completely grey hair and shimmering emerald eyes struggling to hold the sky. _So this is the captured demigod._ I immediately ask her to hand over the sky. She looks at me with a pained expression and tries to move but just removes her hands. I slip underneath her and gently push her out of the way and feel the weight of the sky on my shoulders. The tremendous weight of the sky takes it's toll on my body as my shattered ribs and broken clavicle burn with a mixture of pain and adrenaline. I slowly rise to a standing position to see that my already bleeding wounds seem to have doubled as the pressure increased. I see the girl unconscious on the ground next to me and the laughter of the Titan Lord booms across the small cliff. The Titan lord approaches me and mocks me. When I do not respond to his provocations, his followers drag a battered Jason towards me and shove him under my standing figure. I am thankful atleast Frank was able to escape early to warn the campers and the legion. Atlas roughly shoves me out of the way and I fall to the ground as my blood pools around me. The final thoughts in my head are the memories of how we ended up in this situation. I look at my brother struggling to hold the sky and whisper "sorry" as the world brightens for an instant and then blacks out around me.  
\- - - - - - -

Jason POV:

_This is not good._ The sky is way too heavy and my brother is drowning in his own blood near me. I think of dropping the sky but I remember the tale of the birth of the Gigantes and Titans. The sky will obliterate the earth since Lord Uranus, like Lady Terra, is no longer awake. As I am contemplating my options, a flash of light indicates the arrival of another immortal being. I hear voices greeting someone and I turn my neck slowly to see the person. There is a tall man with brown hair and iridescent eyes in a grey suit. He comes towards Lord Atlas and me. When Atlas notices him, he smiles and says, "Hello, Brother. It has been a long time since I have seen you." My mind goes blank. _Atlas has a brother? So that would be another Titan Lord. But which one? _The man looks at Atlas and says, "I know brother. I have foreseen this moment decades ago. I come bearing a warning. That demigod dying over there is cursed to be our downfall. He has already slain our father and his brothers. His death will be meaningless as he will simply be reborn."

Atlas seems thoughtful for a moment before he replies, "So what, brother? He is a mortal. We are the Titans. We ruled the world with an iron fist and we shall do it again. His death shall ensure that. That is unless you come with a plan." The stranger grins evilly and says, "Of course, I do. Why kill him when we can ensure he will not destroy us? We could turn him into a Titan and capture his loyalties by force if we must. He will become our soldier as we bring reckoning to the puny Olympians." Atlas laughs menacingly and says, "You are not the Titan of foresight and knowledge for nothing, Prometheus. I must say I like your plan since it involves the destruction of those arrogant fools and to use their own children against them. That is just too brilliant." The man now identified as Prometheus says, "Thank you for your kind words, Brother. But we must ensure secrecy of this plan. I request that you terminate the monsters to prevent a leak. I further ask that you return to your position under the sky. I know that is too much to ask but we cannot have the Olympians detecting our plan before we have the demigod ready to lead our forces. As for the demigod's friend and that girl, I shall take them with me to ensure his cooperation. We shall use them to make him serve us."

I am pretty sure that Lord Prometheus is going to die but I am thoroughly surprised by the words that left Atlas' mouth. Atlas looks grim as he says, "I understand your caution brother. I also know that your plans have never failed. You have single handedly created some of the greatest wonders that would put Metis to shame. I will return to my burden but promise me that we shall have our vegenance." Prometheus replies, "Of course brother. As a sign of good faith, I shall make him a Titan right here." Atlas gathers his monster army while Prometheus heals my brother and lifts him up surprisingly gently. Once the monsters gather, Atlas without warning them turns into his true form. I am surprised when I see a bag thrown over my head just before he reveals his true form. I hope my brother and that girl aren't incinerated. I feel someone shove me out from under the sky and hear a grunt as I collapse in a heap against a rock. The bag is removed from my head and I see my brother healed but glowing a slight shade of silverish blue. He is slumped unconscious on the shoulders of Prometheus. Prometheus waves a hand and my injuries are healed along with the girl's. He summons a few soldiers and they escort us off the cliffside.

As we leave, Prometheus bids farewell to his brother and leads us to a clearing where he commands his soldiers to unbind me and the unconscious girl. He wakes up the girl and tells us, "Begone, Son of Jupiter. I shall show you mercy this once. Leave with the girl this instant. Go defend your home against the army of my brother." Before I could respond, the girl asks, "Lord Prometheus, are you going to kill us when we are leaving?" Prometheus scoffs, "Of course not, maiden. Leave now before I change my mind." I am beyond angry now. I glare at his soldiers and say, "Lord Prometheus, I shall not leave my brother to rot while I escape. I will not abandon him. Grant the girl safe passage but I shall leave only with my brother." Prometheus smirks and says, "Your brother is no longer a demigod, godling. He is now a Titan, a Titan yet to receive his domains but a Titan nonetheless. He shall lead the Titans to victory or he shall be made to do so. More importantly, he is an immortal now, meaning that he is restricted by the ancient laws. You don't wish for his death by violating the ancient laws, now do you?" I am about to retort when he gets this super bored expression on his face and snaps his fingers. My vision blackens as I begin to feel a tug and the next thing I see when I open my eyes, is an approaching army of monsters on the Fields of Mars.


	5. A Meeting With The Gods

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**A MEETING WITH THE GODS  
**(3rd Person)  
[The eve of the feast of Fortuna]

In a magnificent palace, suspended in the air lay a man with starry eyes. The air around him pulsating with energy as his eyes flashed with events of the past, present and the future. The man's contemplation is interrupted by a flash of light that dims to reveal a triplet of identical women in grey robes. They bow to the man as he attains a standing posture. The woman in the middle says, "Lord, you have altered the fate of the boy. The boy was meant to die and fulfill his curse but your intervention has lead to Prometheus' rogue attempts to alter fate." The man calmly regards the women in front of him and says, "There are many things in the world you guide, Clotho. But even you can't control certain things. I have altered fate for a reason. Prometheus will simply play a part in my play." The woman to the left of Clotho, says, "Lord Chaos, what about the abstinence from interference? Your conscience isn't awake and yet you manifest a physical form. You have refrained from interference for eons due to fear of your waking consciousness decimating the universe. So why now?" The man now identified as Lord Chaos, says, "I know my power, Lachesis. I will not awaken but I will dispel this form once my will is done. The world has been in chaos for too long, it is time for my other persona to relinquish control." The 3 women gasp and say, "Lord Chaos, you don't mean that..?" Chaos abruptly replies, "Yes, Morta. It is time for peace. I have already begun shifting and yet you fail to recognize me. After all, _Ordero Ab Chao. _The universe will remain unaffected but my conscience will shift thus altering the microfabrics of the universe itself." The 3 women are surrounded by a brief flash of light and their features change slightly. They look stunned before they say, "Lord Order, it is an honor to meet you. But what of the boy? His fate seems to be beyond our grasp." Lord Order looks at his hand before saying, "The boy has a role to play in my play. His fate will be decided by me. Go and complete your duties, Parcae. You will know of his fate when the time is right." The 3 women then bow to the man and vanish as he returns to his supine position of contemplation.

Meanwhile On Long Island:

A lone figure sits on the beach as the waves crash lazily on the shore. The beautiful summer sun is illuminating the dew in the air and producing an alluring image of peace and harmony. The lone girl is sitting on the sand hugging her knees, with tears trailing down her cheeks. After a while, a punkish girl with blue highlights dressed in a silver and blue outfit approaches the crying girl. She sits next to her and gently pats her back and asks, "Did you dream of him again?" The crying girl wipes her eyes with the back of her sleeve and replies, "It's horrible, Thalia. Every time I see his life and how I love him but I can never see his face. I only see his eyes, even as he is dying. I don't know what to do. I have tried to move on and date others. I even prayed to Aphrodite for help and asked her children too. But none of them can find out more than the fact that I loved him so much that his death made me forget him and that I am subconsciously holding onto the last detail about him, his eyes. I want to move on but his dying words haunt me. Every time I try to sleep I hear him saying, 'I am sorry. I have failed you.' I just want to know what happened." The girl now identified as Thalia wraps an arm around the girl and say, "It's ok, Alexis. Don't dwell on this. Don't try to delve too much into this. Try to move on. If you want I can ask Nico to help." Alexis looks at Thalia and asks, "Do you think he can ask some ghost to find out about the guy? I know he is your boyfriend and everything, but would he help me?" Thalia gently replies, "Alexis, He is your cousin too. He is your friend too. Just because he is goth, doesn't mean he won't help you. Also, ya the ghost thing is a nice idea. But that's not what I had in mind."

The girls are interrupted as a boy in a completely black outfit jumps out of a shadow and runs towards them. He stops beside the now standing Thalia and says, "Hey, Thals. What happened? I was searching for you and someone told me that you came to the beach and cries were heard." Thalia takes the boy's hand and says, "It's nothing, Death boy. I came to console Aqua Girl here. She is not okay but maybe you can help her. I was thinking maybe you could set her up with someone but she wants to know if you can question some ghosts for her." Alexis kicks Thalia in the shin as Nico responds, "Thals you know that I am not a people person. I don't talk to many people but I think I can help with the setup thing. As for the ghosts questioning, I need some information to question them. Like how the person died or how they looked. But without these, I would be searching the underworld endlessly. I'm sorry, Alexis." Alexis looks at Nico and smiles before replying, "It's fine, Death breath. Also I don't want lightning bug here to zap me for making her precious boyfriend work for eternity." Thalia zaps Alexis as she is laughing, Nico snorts and he gets zapped too. After a few minutes, Thalia asks, "Hey Neeks, what was that about you helping with the setup idea? Do you know someone?" Nico looks almost hesitant before saying, "Ya. I know someone but I don't know if Alexis would be okay with him." Thalia asks, "Why? Is he a son of Athena or something?" Nico replies, "No. But he is Roman. When I was sent to camp Jupiter and your brother was sent here. I met this guy who is basically a legend in Rome. He is the one who defeated Kronos, Hyperion and the other Titans, while we defended the city of New York. He is also rumoured to be the mysterious friend of Lady Diana, the Roman aspect of Lady Artemis. He is a son of Neptune adopted by Jupiter and Juno. In other words, he is a Roman son of Poseidon who is adopted by Zeus and Hera. He and Jason are very close. There are inseparable, like actual brothers. He was gifted 2 titles by the Gods themselves that even monsters, Titans and other immortals recognize. He doesn't date much but I could ask Jason if he is available." Thalia feels a slight twinge of jealousy when Nico says they are like actual brothers and says, "Then why has my brother never spoken to me about him? I know he doesn't talk much to me but he would mention something like this. I do know that Lady Diana has a very respected male friend. Even the hunt doesn't know who since Lady Artemis is in her Greek form while around us. But most suspicions are on the one who saved Lady Diana when she was trapped under the sky." Nico responds, "Thals, you know that Jason is your brother, no matter what. He just doesn't know what to say to you since you are Greek. Sure you guys exchanged stories and stuff but from what I have heard they have grown up together. You are Jason's family, Thals and so is he."  
As they are slowly heading towards the dining pavillion, Alexis suddenly asks, "Wait, if he is a son of Neptune, wouldn't that make him my brother or half brother? Just like Thalia and Jason." Nico just shrugs his shoulders and says, "That's why I didn't tell you before. He is the only one I can think of who can pass your expectations and standards. Atleast meet him first if you feel it's too weird, then you can just not date him." Alexis retorts, "Hey, I don't have such ridiculous standards" as Thalia laughs and replies, "Yes. Yes you do." Alexis just grumbles, "Yea. Whatever."

After the trio have their breakfast, they seek permission from their mentor, Chiron, to visit the Roman camp. The immortal trainer advices the demigods to bring along a few more campers to ensure their safe journey. The 3 choose an excited daughter of Athena and her boyfriend to accompany them. The three cousins and their friends then begin their journey to San Francisco to meet the mysterious legend of Rome.

**Time Skip [2 Days] **  
**Location : Camp Jupiter.**

Jason's POV :

I open my eyes to see an army of monsters approaching the field of Mars. The cohorts seem to be mobilizing as Reyna stands at the head ordering the centurians. I rush to Reyna's side and order a legionnaire to retrieve my armour. Reyna looks at me in shock and rattles out, "Jason, what the hell happened? Frank told us the brief summary but he collapsed before he could finish and the next thing we know, monsters are approaching. We returned the laurel wreath to Lord Phoebus. Where is Aaron? His cohort is being led by the secondary centurian at the moment." I reply, "It's bad, Reyna. Lord Atlas has unleashed an army on the camp. He captured the demigod behind me and forced her to hold the sky, we rescued her but my brother was captured in turn. Aaron's situation is bad, we must report to and consult the Gods. But for now let's defend our home." As I finish my explanation, the legionnaire arrived with my armour. The Roman war horn was sounded and the cohorts rallied together. The battle strategy is passed around and the battle begins.

3rd Person POV :

After a brutal battle, the Romans gathered their dead and tended to the injured. The fallen were gathered onto pyres and their cohort symbol as well as that of their godly parent were depicted on the pyres. As the Romans finish their ceremonious rites for the fallen, 5 late teens stumbled towards the entrance of the camp and the alarms were sounded again. The legion armed itself and barricaded the entrance to the camp. The teens were instantly unnerved and raised their weapons. But one boy with obsidian eyes spoke up, "We are from the Greek camp. We mean you no harm. I am Nico, son of Pluto, honorary member of the legion." As the words left the boys mouth, The praetors ordered the legion to stand down and they went to meet the Graecus.

Nico POV:

_What the hell_? Why are the Romans armed and ready to attack us? As the others ready their weapons, I state my name and rank hoping that it would avoid conflicts. After an order from Reyna and Jason, they lower their weapons and so do we. A tired looking Jason followed by Reyna and a girl with grey hair slowly makes his way towards us. When they are opposite us, Reyna asks, "What do you want son of Pluto?" Now I know something is off. Everyone looks like they just fought a battle. Before I can say anything, Jason interrupts saying, "Reyna this is not relevant right now. We must inform the Gods of what transpired. We must visit New Rome." I ask, "Praetor, a visit to New Rome is only possible if deemed worthy by the Gods. What has happened that an immediate counsel of the Gods is necessary?" Jason looks at me briefly and says, "Your questions will be answered shortly, Nico. But first we have some important things to do." Jason and Reyna then immediately ordered the legion to return to the barracks. They were ordered to increase patrols and remain on high alert for any attacks. Reyna then bows her head slightly and says, "Lord Mercury, we seek passage into New Rome. We seek the counsel of the Gods, please let us pass." As soon as Reyna utters the words, I feel myself being teleported somewhere. I open my eyes to see the Olympian throne room. The Gods are in their respective thrones looking at us curiously. Thalia clutches my hand as Lady Artemis glares at us or more specifically me.

For an instant all the Gods shimmered before their forms changed slightly and they adopted their Roman personas. Lord Jupiter looks at Jason and asks, "Son, what has happened? Where is your brother? The symbol of Phoebus has been returned and yet Phoebus states that a tragedy has occurred." Jason has tears in his eyes as he recounts the quest to retrieve the lost symbol. He explains the choice Aaron had to make on the quest. When he reaches the part where Prometheus turns his brother into a Titan, a few tears escape his eyes and his fellow praetor pats him on the back. Most of the Gods such as Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Mars, Phoebus, Vesta, Pluto and even Diana have tears in their eyes, when the final message from his brother is delivered. After a moment of silence, Lady Minerva suggests that we hunt Aaron down and imprison him before he gains his domains. The second she says those words, the throne room shakes violently, the air crackles with electricity and the room is filled with growls. Lord Jupiter looks furious as he growls out, "You will not imprison my son, Minerva. He is your brother. He has done deeds of which tales shall be told and yet refused immortality twice for the welfare of his brethren." Lady Minerva scowls but stays quiet as Lord Neptune says, "I am warning you, Minerva, don't even think of harming my son. He has defeated many Titan lords and helped establish peace between the Romans and the Greeks. He will not be treated like an animal. He will simply have to swear another oath of loyalty to us." Before the Goddess of crafts could respond, Lady Diana interjects, "After his oath, Aaron will be a powerful ally we can rely on. He has achieved much as a demigod, so his strength as an immortal, a Titan no less will be tremendous. He can gain knowledge about his domains from us. He can assist us in our duties as well as any conflicts in our domains." _Wait. Did Lady Diana just defend a guy's life? He must be Lady Diana's friend._

I look at Thalia with wide eyes and she too seems to have come to the same conclusion as me. Lady Juno supplies, "Yes and my son can live with us here on Olympus itself. Finally I can have some mother-son time. I can ensure that he isn't over exerting or terrified." Many of the Gods smile at the prospect of hanging out with their son/brother/friend. All the Gods groan as Lady Ceres says, "Yes and then I can make sure he consumes enough grain daily. It will help him grow strong " But the moment is short lived as Lady Minerva says, "I'm sorry Father. I meant no harm to my brother. I was just thinking strategically. You have my word that I will not harm him. But first we must find him to rescue him." All the Gods nod their head and have serious expressions as Lord Apollo rises from his throne and green mist surrounds him.

Diana POV:

_It's not fair. _After millennia, I get a decent male friend who respects women and he has to make the sacrifice play and get captured. His mother, my stepmother, Juno, did teach him well. She is the Goddess of women afterall, at least she taught him to respect them. He did save me from underneath the sky. Now he is the damsel in distress. _Ah. If I save him, I can hold it against him forever. We will be tallied out. I can taunt him for eternity. Don't judge me, what are friends for if not some competition. This is going to be fun. But he is immortal now. That means we will have eternity together to hunt and kill monsters and prank my insufferable brother. I hope he gets some domains linked with hunting to prevent him from being held back by the ancient laws. But I wonder what his domains will be? _  
My thoughts on Aaron's rescue are disrupted when my brother, Phoebus, rises from his throne and is surrounded by green mist. He speaks in a raspy voice, definitely not the voice of Pytho or Pythia,

_'The one you seek shall be lost till the time is right. Do not seek him lest you wish for his demise.'_

As soon as those words leave my brother's mouth, the throne room is in uproar. The chaos is interrupted by the flashing in of the Fates. They are in their true Roman form of the Parcae, rather than the Greek Moirai. They ask us to calm down and inform us that my friend (Aaron) is on a journey that must completed by him. He cannot stop his fate and that it is his destiny. The Parcae then look at the daughter of Poseidon and say, "We are sorry for what happened young one. But the one you seek is the one who is lost. He must complete his destiny and only then will the Truth be revealed. We didn't wish to bestow this fate upon him." The girl is shocked and says, "You mean the one is the lost Roman? How?" The Parcae just reply cryptically, "Yes, child. The one you seek is the lost Roman. There are things at play here that are very important. Don't ignore the warning."  
The Parcae then flashed out. My father looks at the daughter of Poseidon and she narrates her tale of her lover and his demise or rather apparent demise. But that is the problem. _I may or may not have a crush on him, not that I plan on telling him anytime soon and_ as _far as I remember, the idiot never mentioned anything about a lover or a girlfriend. I know he wasn't lying because I searched his memories. Maybe the Parcae erased his memory too. Plus I lost my chance to taunt the fool for atleast a decade. Ughh. But he is immortal so I don't think they can even meet again. Well it's his choice but we have eternity together anyway, she may be a hindrance but she is after all a mortal._

My father, my uncle and my stepmom all appear to be mourning for the goofball. My father orders us to keep an eye out for him but to avoid actively searching. Then the council meeting is dismissed and I see the Hades child, the Bellona maiden and my former lieutenant, Thalia consoling the girl and the Roman praetor. I take one last glance at the sun in the sky before flashing off to the hunt.

Alexis POV:

_I finally found out who that was. Despite the fact it is my half brother or whatever, I am happy. Of course I am sad that he is missing but I know that someday he will come back. _After the council meeting, the Gods went to mourn and do their duties while we were sent to our camps. _Well, where ever you are, Aaron, know that I love you. Please come back safely._

3rd Person POV:

As the Gods and demigods went grieving back to their duties, everyone failed to notice a single girl with emerald eyes shimmer for a few seconds as her grey hair became a rare shade of brown, before vanishing in a dim orange light.


	6. The Birth Of A Troubled Scion

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**THE BIRTH OF A TROUBLED SCION  
**(3rd Person)

A solitary figure, glowing a shade of goldenish orange, is seen sitting across a small fire as the nocturnal animals go about their lives in the forest. Opposite the imposing figure is a teenage boy slumped unconscious against a tree bark. The unconscious raven haired teen glows an ethereal shade of silver and blue brightening a small patch of the grass and the trees surrounding him. The man pays little heed to his companion as he distractedly stokes the flames of the fire with a stick. As time goes by, the teen slowly stirs from his slumber. He opens his eyes groaning and instantly becomes wide-eyed. The strange man sitting at the fire merely tilts his head at the vigilant and confused teen, indicating him to take a seat across him or to wash himself at the lake. The teen hurriedly frisks himself before flipping a silver coin that turns into a beautifully engraved sword. The teen takes a defensive stance as he heads towards the water while the man merely looks on amused. The teen looks into the lake to be met with a reflection he doesn't recognize. His short messy black hair was darker than the night and his eyes glowed a strange amalgam of purple that seem to attract all life towards it before they reverted back to the iconic swirls of sea green, sky blue and chocolate brown with specks of silver. The animals flock around the confused boy and gently nudge and nuzzle into him. For a brief moment, his confusion filled eyes brim with tears before they instantly widen. He turns around and narrows his eyes at the man as he raises his sword, ready to charge. The man simply raises his hand and the boy is frozen midstrike. The man moves his hand and the boy mimics his hand gestures to sit across him by the fire. The man holds his hand in the air and says, "Before you attack me once again, I must inform you that I am not going to kill or torture you. I am simply here to tell you a story, to offer you the knowledge you need. If you haven't guessed yet, I am Prometheus, Titan of Foresight and Knowledge."

The boy remains stock still but his eyes are blazing with fury. After a few seconds, he calms down and nods his head slightly. Prometheus drops his hand and the boy relaxes a bit. His posture is still tense but defensive. He looks at the Prometheus and asks, "Why am I here, Lord Prometheus? I am no one special and what is this story you wish to tell me?" Prometheus looks into the fire and replies, "Do you not feel it, Aaron? You are changing by the second. I have managed to make the process as painless as possible but you have a long way to go. After your brother was stuck under the sky, I saved your lives in exchange for revenge on the gods. In show of good faith, I turned you into a Titan." The boy, Aaron, gains a horrified expression at those words and asks, "So I am a Titan? Why would you do this?" Prometheus calmly looks at the horrified boy and replies, "I have chosen you for a reason, Aaron. You have the determination, loyalty and innocence to hold power. You wish to do the right thing yet you don't crave power. Not all Titans kill their brethren and children. I have only fought in battles that required my participation." A few tears trail down Aaron's cheeks and he asks, "What is this story you wish to tell me, Lord Prometheus?" Prometheus replies, "A tale of love, deciet and corruption. Do you know the story of the creation of humanity?" Aaron's simply nods his head to indicate no.

Prometheus sighs deeply before saying, "Many eons ago, out of nothing was born a single entity. An entity so powerful that his mere thoughts created an entire universe. Out of this universe, 10 beings, the physical manifestations of the various parts of the universe, were born. They were called the Primordials. They are the composition of the universe itself. The creator fearing the safety of his creation, became a dormant consciousness drifting and guiding the universe. The Primordials had children that they cared for. As time passed by, The Primordials, Lord Uranus and Lady Terra, had 6 children that they nurtured. When the children reached a significant age, they were made Titans. The Titans were supposed to be the guardians of their domains while the Primordials slumbered. They did so for centuries during the Golden age. The Titans protected their domains against abuse and damage. The Titans then had children that they loved. As time passed by, life went on and out of curiosity, I created the first man and woman. I never had children and so I took care of them as such. I sheltered them in a garden until they were ready to face the dangers of the world. At the same time, the Titans were ready to make their children their representatives, known as the Gods. The Gods were to represent the guardians (Titans) and give counsel to the mortal denizens of the Earth. But an argument turned ugly as the Gods and Titans spread malicious rumors and clashed in the first Titanomachy. I was helpless as my brothers cast my creations out from the gardens and into a war torn world. I watched my creation being mistreated by my brethren and their children. I could do nothing as civilizations were decimated, lies were propogated as facts and families torn asunder. After the war, the Gods fearing the Titan's reprisal, banished us to the depths of Tartarus. They too forced humanity to worship them. The truth was lost to time and the peace was shattered. That is the story of the Birth of Humanity. Now tell me Aaron, Don't you see the cause for all the carnage and destruction?"

Aaron looks aghast before saying, "So the story of Lord Saturn castrating Lord Uranus at the behest of Lady Terra, isn't true. Why should I believe you? You could be fabricating this story to make me help you. Plus my parents would never lie to me." Prometheus just shakes his head and replies, "The truth is hard to believe, Son of the Gods. Even the Titans have forgotten their true nature and so have the Gods. They have been too consumed with their petty differences and squabbles to realize the state of the world around them. They have been corrupted by the power they hold. Lies have been told so many times that they have become the truth. I have been waiting centuries for the truth to be revealed." Aaron suddenly asks, "Lord Prometheus, if you speak the truth, then why did you agree to take revenge on the Gods? You say you want peace and yet you agree to seek vengeance. I would like to believe that what you said is true but I don't know the truth anymore." Prometheus replies, "I don't expect you to believe me instantly, Aaron, but I do speak the truth. I merely deceived my brother to save your life. The time is coming, Son of Juno. The Parcae will be here to deliver your domains. They shall guide you to the next step in your journey. When you receive your domains, you will understand. You must train and grow adept in your body as it becomes that of a Titan. You must understand yourself and your domains."

Before Aaron can respond, A flash of light illuminates the forest and dims to reveal 3 women in regal purple robes. Prometheus bows to the women and Aaron follows quickly realizing that they are the Parcae. The woman at the left says, "Rise Prometheus. Despite your rogue attempts to change fate, we are here to bestow upon the new Titan, his domains." The woman in the middle puts a finger on Aaron's forehead and chants a verse. The woman to the right says, "Rise, Aaron Jackson. Son of Neptune, Juno & Jupiter, The Roman Legionnaire, Filius Deorum, Titan of Perfection, Peace & Nature. Henceforth you shall be known as the Titan of the Earth." Aaron glows a blinding mixture of silver, green and purple before he shakily stands. His irides now kaleidoscopic with shades of sea green, sky blue, chocolate brown, silver, emerald and purple swirling around creating an elegant depiction of power. His hair seemed to be absorbing all light to it and his features became more aristocratic and precise. Aaron clutches Prometheus' hand as he gently leans on a tree before quickly jerking straight. Prometheus stifles a laugh and the Parcae watch in amusement as the raven-haired teen slowly turns his head to see 2 enchanting white wings hanging from his shoulder blades. He nearly yelps and the Titan booms out in laughter as the Parcae chuckle lightly. After the two Titans regain their composure, the Parcae look at the newly ascended Titan and say, "Be careful, Filius Deorum. You will no doubt be powerful but know that your journey possesses perils that shall be arduous for you to overcome. You must now leave and head into the mortal world. You must understand humanity and only then will you be able to guide them. We warn you again, do not seek out your past. Let that life be in the past. Do not endanger yourself and them by seeking them. Someday you will see them again." Aaron asks, "Thank you, Miladies. I will heed your warning but how can I enter the modern world when I have wings?" The Parcae reply, "Just will them to disappear. One more thing, when you reach your true form, never reveal it. It would not do well for you. Even now the power dwells in you, but when you reach your true form, it will be truly uncontrollable. Our time grows short, Filius Deorum. We hope you succeed in your journey. May you be safe." With those words, the Parcae flash away leaving behind 2 Titans, one grinning and the other dazed.

Prometheus waves his hand and suddenly the stoic looking teenage Titan rapidly becomes younger. Aaron yells, "What the..?" But is cut off as he turns into a gurgling toddler. Prometheus gains a sad expression as he lifts the baby in his arms and says, "I am sorry for this, Aaron. I really am but this is your journey. You must endure this to fulfill your destiny. You will have your immortality but you will age like a mortal till you have completed the goal of that life. Your powers will not manifest but your body will adapt to its Titan form more properly from now." The baby looks on questioningly with tears in its eyes as Prometheus waves his hand over the babies head and glowing blue strands float from the babies head and into Prometheus' hand. The strands then float into a magically summoned jar on the ground. The jar instantly vanishes and the baby in his arms remains silent as a circular mark appears on it's shoulder. After a minute the serious looking toddler bursts into cries and Prometheus shakes his hand in front of the baby and suddenly it is giggling and attempting to grab his hands. Prometheus carefully adjusts the baby as he plays with it and dissappears in a flash of light.

He reappears in a hospital dressed in mortal clothes. He slowly makes his way towards a family. The father is dressed impeccably in a suit and his wife sits beside him, anxiously chewing her finger nail. Near the father sits a young kid with a mischievous glint in his eyes. On the other side of the woman sits an old lay reading a dusty Bible. The father looks up to see the disguised Titan with the baby and asks in a voice dripping with hope, "Agent, has the adoption been finalised?" The disguised Titan, smiles and replies, "Yes, sir. The doctor has just checked him and he seems to be in perfect health. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at DCFS." The man interrupts the 'agent' and says, "Thank you, Agent Mike. Thank you so much. Christian has been so excited to meet his younger brother. May I hold him?" The 'agent' replies, "Of course, you can hold him." The 'agent' hands the father the baby and says, "And congratulations,... Mr. Ward."


	7. An Amorous Tryst

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**AN AMOROUS TRYST  
**(3rd Person)

After the chitauri invasion, the global unrest is palpable as international agencies scramble for intelligence. Massive cleanups are conducted in the city to prevent abuse of alien technology. Organisations previously unheard of, scurry in the shadows to salvage the alien information and technology. Amongst such agencies is the infamous HYDRA. However HYDRA is restricted in it's operational capacity due to SHIELD overwatch. For decades, HYDRA agents have infiltrated the very foundation of their enemy's ranks. One such agent is the espionage expert, Agent Grant Douglas Ward.

Agent Grant Douglas Ward, born Alex Ivanov Porter, was adopted by the Wards. After a scrape in with the law, he was trained as a specialist from a young age by his mentor, Agent John Garrett. His remarkable skills in infiltration and manipulation were only enhanced by the rigorous training he was subjected to at such a tender age of 15. After his training, the young adult enrolled in the US Navy and served as an intelligence officer to obtain a legitimate entry into SHIELD. However unknown to his mentor, he served in the Navy under his birth name while he enrolled into SHIELD using his given name. During his service in the Navy, he quickly rose through the ranks and became Lieutenant Commander in just 6 years. At the age of 23, he was accepted into the Operations academy at SHIELD. He graduated from the academy in record time and began his career as a specialist. After half a decade and several tiring missions, Agent Ward is sitting on the bed in a meagerly furnished apartment preparing for something, when his secure SAT PHONE buzzes. He curiously picks up the phone to see a message containing a set of coordinates and a small snow flake. With a genuine smile on his face, the double agent slings his go-bag over shoulder and heads to the building's garage after securing the apartment.

The moon shines faintly in the sky above a desolate forest, almost as if grieving. A young woman with luscious brown hair and rich emerald green eyes dressed in obsidian tactical gear with a blue circle on her shoulder, leans against a tree and watches the horizon calmly. After a few minutes, a figure appears on a high speed vehicle, heading straight for the woman. The woman merely grins as the speeding rider halts a few inches from her foot. The rider is dressed in identical tactical gear but has a silver circle on his shoulder. The rider removes his helmet and gets off the bike. The man parks his bike and turns around to be ambushed with a hug from the woman. The woman whisper shrieks, "Grant, It's been ages. How are you?"

Grant Ward POV :

As soon as I park the bike, Frost hugs me half to death. She whisper yells, "Grant, It's been ages. How are you?" Jessica Forst, aka Frost, former naval intelligence analyst, has been my best friend since my enrolment in the US Navy. Most people underestimate her because she is a SciTech operative but she can hack anything short of Stark's computers. She is also trained in basic combat practices. She is the only one, other than John, who knows my entire life and all my secrets including HYDRA. She is also the only one other than my family to know my birth information. She doesn't mind that I am a member of HYDRA even though she is an agent of SHIELD. I also know about her life and secrets but they aren't as dark as HYDRA. I whisper reply, "Hey Frosty, I was on missions continuously for the past 2 weeks. The cleanup jobs are getting more complex. Anyway enough shoptalk, what happened?" She pouts and says, "why do you assume something happened? Can't a girl hangout with her BFF on his birthday? You do remember that it's your birthday, right?" _Oh crap. I completely forgot. How do I get out of this? _My thoughts are interrupted by her laughter echoing across the deserted clearing. _Well so much for the best espionage agent since Romanoff. _I glare at her as she takes her sweet time laughing. After a while, she says panting for breath, "Oh God! The great super spy forgot his own birthday. This is epic. I would have guilt tripped you into buying drinks but now you are going to buy us an entire dinner. Best birthday gift ever!" I would be offended but I know she has a plan that involves some action, so I reply, "I am pretty sure that the person celebrating their birthday must get the gift." She just mocks, "Aww. Is the whittle baby going to cry? Besides I thought of a better gift for your birthday. It might turn out to be fun." Over the years, Frost and I have have developed a system for our birthdays. We take each other on small missions just for fun, so that we can train each other in our fields. _Ok so it's going to be a training mission. Whoo hoo! _Unlike most specialists who rely on their strength or combat skills only, I like learning SciTech procedures. It increases my capacity as an allround specialist. I ask her, "Okay, Agent Forst. What will my training be on?" She replies, "Okay, so I found this really bad weapons dealer. He is on the FBI's most wanted and stuff for selling advanced weapons to child soldier rings. His entire operation is run through a black market hacking software. Since he is currently in the US and at a party in New York, our mission is to infiltrate his residence and alter his software to obtain details about his operation. So, you in? Wait, what's with the Agent business?" I know she hates it when I get formal and professional, so I continue to push her buttons. I reply, "Yes, Agent Forst. I am in. Let's proceed with the mission." She looks pissed off before smirking and saying, "Really Grant. You think I am that easy. You trained me. Just for that, I am going to keep calling you by your pet name." Before I can retort, she continues, "No, no Ives. You aren't getting out of this that easily. Let's go come on, Ives. You are driving. Dinner is after the mission. Come on." Seeing no other way, I slowly start the bike sulking, while she just laughs at my attempts to delay the op.

3rd Person POV:

As the night grew darker, the 2 agents made their way to an isolated farmhouse. Agent Ward parks the bike while Agent Forst decks up and preps her kit. Agent Ward then decks up while Agent Forst keeps watch. After preparation, with help from Agent Forst, the double agent begins the tedious job of hacking into the property's security system. He reroutes the camera feeds to their visors and disables the various sensors. After double checking the feeds and sensors, he cuts the main power supply and begins his approach towards the farmhouse. The agents are decked out with night vision goggles attached to their visors, heavy duty suppressant guns and tactical knives. They slowly head across the fields with the double agent at the head and the SciTech operative covering the rear. The double agent picks the lock and heads inside the house with the SciTech agent covering his back. The various guards are instantly sedated and the house cleared. The agents then head to the office. Once there, Agent Ward begins hacking into the securely encrypted software, with occasional guidance from his partner. After the changes are done, the agents return the objects to their previous states and begin their exit. They relock the doors and retreat to the extraction point. Agent Ward then turns the power back on, disengages the cameras and the 2 spies exfil on the bike as the now conscious guards scramble to apprehend them. Agent Forst broadcasts a fake signal saying, 'Damn it. Central Command, this is Agent Jones, the target is not on site. I repeat the target is not on site. Abort mission.' The 2 spies then make their way towards the forest clearing to change into civilian clothes. Agent Ward turns around as his fellow agent changes, and Agent Forst asks, "Oh come on, Ives. It's not something you haven't seen. No need for the false modesty." The agent in question turns around with his eyes narrowed at the SciTech operative. He growls out, "Oh Frosty you are so going to pay for that after dinner." The SciTech agent smirks, walks up to him and whispers in his ears, "Happy Birthday, _Ives_. Hope you like your gift." The 2 agents head to a diner enroute to the city and share a meal.

As they eat, Agent Forst asks Agent Ward, "So aren't you worried about your interview with SHIELD High Command? I know it's just Maria Hill but she is technically the second in command of SHIELD." Agent Ward looks at her with a thoughtful expression and says, "Frosty, I forgot to tell you but John already told me the purpose of the meeting. He even assigned me new mission parameters. He told me that Agent Coulson, who mind you isn't dead, wants to recruit me for a SHIELD MCU. I might even be promoted to level 7." Agent Forst whines, "How come you get to be the big bad government stooge at level 7 while I am a glorified tech operator at level 5? That is so not cool." In response Agent Ward sticks his tongue out at her and says, "Sorry Frosty, I don't make the rules. Besides you have a cushy gig working at the academy as an analyst. That's basically like working at college." Agent Forst just sulks in response so Agent Ward asks, "So how did the mission go?" This distracts the SciTech operative, who replies through a mouthful of bacon, "The mission was a complete success. The data from the software is being downloaded but it looks promising. I'll edit the data and send it to the Feds so that they can arrest him and his buddies." The double agent then asks, "So how was the date with Agent James from Comms? You guys still seeing each other." The SciTech operative just sighs and replies, "James is sweet but he is too boring. No action, just paper work and so on. Besides I am stuck dating because of your stupid no 'attachments' rule from John." It's now the double agent's turn to sigh as he replies, "I am sorry, Forst. I can't risk John harming you. You have done so much for me and this is the least I can do for you, ensuring your safety from HYDRA. But once my mission is over, we won't need to hide. We can leave SHIELD and HYDRA behind." The SciTech operative angrily asks, "And when will your mission be over?" The double agent pleads, "Frosty we have been over this. It's not easy. I have never been a believer in SHIELD or HYDRA. I owe John a debt and I intend on repaying it. Once John's life is saved, my mission will be over. We will be free to do whatever we want. We can return to active service and have fun kicking ass together." The SciTech agent tears up and says, "You don't owe him your life, Grant. You never did. You are too good and he knows that. You are expendible to him." The double agent takes his partner's hand in his and says, "Frosty come on, I know that John is using me, but I can't give up on him. I promise that I'll be safe and I'll always come back to you. Now you have promise me that too. Can you do that?" The SciTech operative looks at him as he wipes the tears off her face with his thumb and says, "Of course, I promise." The double agent then says, "Now come on I remember you bragging about beating me in an eating contest. Let's test that theory shall we?" The SciTech operative responds, "Oh you are so on." The 2 agents finish their dinner and after much guilt tripping by Agent Forst, Agent Ward pays for the meal. They head towards the city. Once in the city, they navigate to an apartment complex where Agent Ward parks the bike and the 2 spies head to an apartment. Once inside, Agent Ward drops his bags in the closet while Agent Forst locks the doors. He faces the SciTech operative and says, "Well, you know where everything is. I'm going to take a quick shower. You can take the bathroom attached to the living room, then head to bed. I'll be there shortly." He takes a shower and changes into a pair of jeans and an undershirt.

He is sitting on the bed, preparing for his meeting when the bedroom door opens to reveal Agent Forst clad only in a towel. The towel does nothing to hide the lithe figure of the agent but it compliments her curves rather nicely. She makes her way to the bed while the double agent just looks on unperturbed with curiousity in his eyes. She gathers the materials on the bed and places them on the floor before 'accidentally' dropping the towel. She climbs onto the bed and settles in the lap of the HYDRA agent. She seductively whispers in his ear, "Happy Birthday, Grant. I have to know, did you really think that I wouldn't find out about the zero-contact policy? Well let's see if you can maintain _zero contact_." Agent Ward looks at her with a small smile on his face as he flips her around, so she lies on the bed. He holds her arms above her head and bites a spot on her neck as she lets out a moan. He traces his way to her ears, with his lips hovering just above her skin. He playfully nibbles on her ear and says in a low whisper, "Really Forst, you think you can seduce me. I must say good effort but I am the one who taught you." He goes on to hover just above her such that his body heat radiates into her space. Her body shivers a bit as she let's out a pleading moan. She asks in a shaky voice, "How come you never get seduced? Am I not hot enough?" The double agent responds, "Sorry Forst but it's my job never to get seduced. But like I have said many times before you are hot. The first step to a successful seduction is self confidence." The double agent gets closer and closer to her face until their lips are a few millimeters apart, until their breaths are mingling and says, "I'm sorry about the no-contact policy from John. I can still meet you at the academy or the hub. Don't worry." He slowly closes the negligible gap between them as his one hand holds her hands and the other fondles her breasts while he kisses her, their tongues battling for dominance. The double agent tweaks her excited nipples causing the SciTech operative to gasp and moan into the kiss. Thus the 2 spies spend the night in the throes of passion as they enjoy their time together.

**Timeskip-[Next Morning]**

The morning sun fills the apartment with light, illuminating the bedroom. Across the bed is sprawled a naked agent with the sheets covering her lower body. The bathroom door opens to reveal the double agent in a t-shirt, leather jacket and jeans. He cleans up the apartment as the sleeping agent slowly stirs, grumbling about early mornings. She slowly sits up yawning and says, "Hey, it's only 0700 Hrs and you are already ready for your mission or whatever. How do you manage to get up so early?" The double agent responds, "Frosty come on, you used to wake up with me at 0430 Hrs on some missions. This is just like that. Besides I have to be ready for my mission briefing and stuff. But I must say that I enjoyed your birthday gift, like always." The SciTech operative flushes as she recalls the memories of their amorous trysts and says, "Ya, That was the best sex of my life. Every time we do this, you always have something different. How is that? You know what on second thought, I don't want to know. But I too enjoyed the gift, like always." The 2 agents get ready and as they are leaving the apartment, the double agent says, "Forst, I know I don't say this enough but thanks. You have stuck by me even though I am a messed up assassin for 2 rival agencies and my job entails killing people regardless of their innocence. Anyways, where do you want me to drop you off?" The SciTech operative replies, "Come on, Grant. Give yourself some credit. You are a great guy who just got mixed up with the wrong people. Yet you don't give up your principles, even if anyone says otherwise, know that you are always a good guy. I love you, Grant. Oh and drop me off at the Hub. Besides I think being an assassin is kinda hot." Agent Ward just laughs and replies, "Thanks for the pep talk, Frosty. Now get on, I'll drop you at the Hub and head for my mission briefing. I love you too." The SciTech operative teases, "Oh I didn't think that the serious Agent Ward is capable of love and other such human emotions." The agent replies, "Oh shut up Frosty." The agents continue their banter as they make their way through the chaotic streets of the city towards the Hub. Once they reach the Hub, the agents wish each other good bye and part ways. As the analyst watches the retreating form of the double agent-assassin, a single tear trails down her cheek as she says, "Oh Grant, if only you knew. I am sorry for all of this but I do love you. I hope you can forgive me when the truth comes out."


	8. The Soldier's Return-I

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**THE SOLDIER'S RETURN – I  
**(3rd Person)

After the debacle of the Insight helicarriers at the Triskelion, a notable change was detected in the behavior of Agent Grant Ward. His demeanor became more cold hearted and ruthless as he mercilessly carried out missions for HYDRA and SHIELD. The reason behind this change was the death of a SciTech operative, Agent Forst, in the aftermath of the helicarrier crashes. The fate of the young analyst was unknown but after days of search and rescue, the analyst along with several hundred other agents and analysts was pronounced deceased. Despite his ongoing undercover mission at the MCU, Agent Ward became more brutal than ever. His rather strange behavior was attributed to the after effects of the Asgardian staff. His sole objective became the completion of his mission.  
When HYDRA emerged from the shadows, Agent Ward sided with his mentor, hoping to finish his mission. In his grief, rage and desperation his behavior worsened and he was misunderstood more often than not. He arbitrarily issued threats of kidnapping, used excessive violence and even attempted to kill his former teammates. The remnants of SHIELD instantly labeled Agent Ward, a terrorist, after his capture. His inhumane captivity and psychological torture did nothing to help his manic depression as he held on to the remnants of his lover by deluding himself that it was the novice SHIELD agent. After the manic depression came the uncontrollable rage and fury, a rage not against HYDRA or SHIELD, but a rage against himself, his failure to protect her from HYDRA. In his rage he attempted to end his life thrice but each time he was saved. After a timely escape from his captors, Grant Ward began his mission to set things right. But little did he know that his psychological state was worsening as he delved into a contorted form of psychosis.

He became a vigilante siding with none, attempting to mend broken relationships. After a miserable failure at attempting to mend his delusional relationship, Grant Ward met Agent Kara Palamas. As he attempted to help her heal, his mental state too slowly began to heal. Being in a stable relationship grounded him, it let him surface from the depths of his delusions. But the reprieve was short lived as the brainwashed agent was slain by him, due to the genius of Agent May's trap. With renewed rage, Grant Ward became the new head of a HYDRA faction, leading them spread chaos across the world. He lashed out at the world and at his former team for the deaths of his loved ones. He lost his neutrality and aided Mr. Gideon Malick in the killing of Dr. Rosalind Price, the romantic interest of Director Coulson. He began to work along with Mr Malick in the retrieval of an ancient genetically modified human from another planet. But he suffered his demise at the hands of a vengeful SHIELD director. The genetically modified human 'possessed' Grant Ward's body and returned to the Earth. After much loss, the plans of the Hive to genetically alter the human population were foiled and the genetically altered human was launched into orbit along with a genetically altered SHIELD operative. The SHIELD operative used his powers to shoot an intense beam of electric current at the Hive. The Hive began convulsing as the voltage from the shock was large enough to knock out the quinjet's radar. After a few minutes, it began bleeding some form of black goo. The goo was rather particulate and smelled of burnt silicon. The suspicious doctor approached the now rigid body and checked the pulse. To his surprise, the body had a pulse. Suddenly the person opened his eyes and they were not the familiar emotionless orbs of the Hive. The person coughed up some more of the goo. He instinctively went on the defensive as he saw the SHIELD operative and the quinjet. He instantly disarmed the doctor and incapacitated him before entering the cockpit. The man calmly assessed the situation and began to disengage autopilot as well as the communication jammer. Seeing the time left on the warhead, the man lowered the quinjet to just above the mesosphere at 80 kms. He reset the autopilot to its initial sequence and collected the safety breathing apparatus on board and a parachute before jumping out the plane. The plane ascended to it's height and exploded, taking the life of a genetically altered SHIELD operative as well as a bio weapon along with it.

Grant POV:

Pain. Intense pain. I remember Coulson killing me. So how am I alive? More importantly, why am I feeling this much pain? I slowly orient myself after throwing up some kind of black goo. _Maybe it's a biological contamination. _But standard SHIELD sanitization protocol is containment and termination is only the last resort. _This is bad. Whatever I did, I must have messed up bad for SHIELD to sacrifice one of its operatives. Wait. Why are clothes charred but my skin unburnt? and why do I reek of ozone?_ I disarm the operative and unlock autopilot. I see the bomb on board. I open the safety panel on the jet and remove the safety breathing apparatus and a parachute. After resetting the autopilot, I jump off a plane for the second time in my life, but this time I am the one with the wicked headache and no backup plan.

Midfall my head feels like it's going to explode. I have felt pain before, even torture, but this is agonizing on a whole another level. I try to recall what happened, but the last thing I remember is seeing the moons in the sky on an alien planet as I died. _The target must have retrieved me and healed me, but why wouldn't I remember anything, why would I vomit some black stuff? Ugh this is going nowhere. I have to focus on surviving the fall and making it to ground. After that I can decipher the mysteries of the past few months. _As I drop to around 650 feet, I open the parachute and slowly descend to the ocean below. It seems that my fall has brought me to South America or Chile to be precise. That's a reprieve since HYDRA has safe boxes in almost every city in the South American continent. After 10 minutes of agonizing silence, pain and questions, I splash down on the ocean surface around a mile or 2 from the shore. I discard my parachute and breathing apparatus and slowly swim making my way towards the shore avoiding the locals and blending in with the tourists. It appears that I have washed ashore at Cavancha in some city in Chile. On some enquiry, I learn that I am in the city of Iquique.

I make my way to the nearest empty beach chair and grab a towel from the stand. I dry myself to an extent and head towards the nearest transportation center. I slowly make my way to the metro station at the nearby Hilton garden Inn. At the station, I find the dead drop and collect the items inside. The safe box contains around 1000 dollars in regional currency, a few passports without photographs and details, a few identity cards without details, a silenced glock-17 with 2 magazines, 2 sets of unisex clothes, an empty go-bag and a key to a storage locker. I gather everything into the go-bag and restach the empty box in its location. _Well it looks like I will finally be returning to active service. If only Jess were here. _It's time to go home.

**Timeskip-[2 weeks] **  
3rd Person POV:

The amnesiac specialist returns to his old life under his birth name, Alex Porter, a US Naval Intelligence Officer. He spends most of his days working with the government forces in hostile nations clearing the regions of rebels. He is often struck with bouts of severe pain at night but he forces himself to be grounded by the pain rather than relieving it. Seeing his skills and prowess, the OpNav command promotes him to the position of foreign intelligence liason and often dispatchs him on high risk solitary operations in collaboration with foreign governments. Within months of his return to active service, he gains a reputation within the military world and is often contracted by many war-torn countries. He gladly uses his skill set to go on high risk missions to sate his feeling of nostalgia before his life was messed up. Today the specialist took up one such high risk op from the Chilian military, his mission objective is to rescue a scientist from a heavily secured compound/lab. The scientist is a chilian military employee being held by rebel forces, allied with the remanents of the shadow organization, HYDRA. The former specialist goes to the region under the pretense of being a lost tourist and maps the location. He takes up a perch in the hills surrounding the lab and begins eliminating the sentries with a .50 caliber Barrett-M107a1. He fires a small projectile at the antennas on the lab, disabling the communications. As the guards rush out to find the sniper, he continues picking them off until they begin deploying the anti-sniper protocols. While the barriers are being setup, the spy sneaks into the lab disguised as an injured soldier hit by the sniper. Using the meagre intel on the building and following the bodies being pushed past, he makes his way to the medical bay. He locates his target before making his way toward her and asking her for help. She refuses saying that she isn't a medical doctor, he uses the identifier phrase given to him by his handler. The woman's eyes widen before she hurriedly whispers, "What are you doing? I cannot come with you." He clamly replies, "Relax, Doctor. I know they have your daughter. Just pretend you are checking my wound, I have a plan but you must follow my lead." The doctor 'checks' his wounds and performs the necessary first aid while he scouts the active guards. After a minute, he detonates the hidden charges across the base and takes the scientist along, pretending to escort her to safety.

Meanwhile at SHIELD, the head of the inhuman division was having an unpredictable year. Her mother turned out to be an inhuman who wished to unleash chaos and was killed by her father. Her psychotic former SO died only to return possessed and be killed again. She hated herself more than him since despite his betrayal, she still couldn't kill him. She hated that she still loved him. She had tried to find the reason behind his betrayal but she only found more mysteries and questions rather than the answers she craved. But now her life appeared to have returned to a stable routine, finding inhumans/gifteds, helping them understand and giving them a choice (While hunting for answers on the DL). On one such routine data analysis, she notices a rouge faction of HYDRA hiding in the forests of Chile. The young inhuman immediately informs her boss, Director Coulson. The inhuman shows the hacked data from the base surveillance showing experiments being performed by HYDRA on her fellow inhumans. The alarmed director asks, "How is this possible? They would need a scientist to coordinate the research and I doubt they have enough resources to kidnap one." Agent Johnson replies, "About that, DC, apparently a scientist from the Chilian Military was kidnapped and is being forced to work for them. Her daughter is being held hostage. From what I found when I hacked into the Chilian SecureNet, they have not authorized any military op in fear of her safety as well as that of her child. But they have requisitioned a high value asset from the US Navy for the extraction in exchange for local intelligence. They aren't interested in the base or the research, their goal is to retrieve their scientist and her child. The kidnapped scientist is a geneticist who has been studying the terragenesis process. So what do we do, DC?" The director gains a thoughtful expression and says, "At the moment, we should focus on the base. We will go there and target the base, if there are any complications with the extraction, we will help. But the target is the base. We can question the scientist later. Wait, they sent a single asset into a base of HYDRA operatives?"

She replies, "Ya, I was shocked too. So I did some digging and found out our mystery asset. His name is Lt. Commander Alex Porter, US navy. He has received several commendations and awards for his actions and is also one of the youngest Lieutenant Commanders ever. He was last seen after his return from deployment on the USS Bringham. After not being heard from for over half a decade, Lt. Cmdr Alex rejoins the Navy and has been on active duty ever since. He has been assigned various Ops from surveillance to assassination and all his missions have been successful. No civilian casualties, no property damage, nothing. His codename is 'Ghost'. Everything else is redacted." The director places a hand on his chin and says, "Hmm, it seems like the Lt. Commander has some secrets. Anyway we will take care of the base while he rescues the scientist. Who knows maybe we can make a new ally in the US Navy?" After an intense mission briefing, the agents of SHIELD then make their way to the remote wilderness of the Chilian forests.

At a clearing about 0.5 miles from the base, the quinjet descends onto the grass. Coulson turns to his team and addresses them, "Okay, all of you remember your assignments. Agents Skye and Trip are on rear approach while Agent May and I are on forward approach. Agents Fitz and Simmons are on comms and medevac from the quinjet while Agent Mac guards them and the plane. Agents Morse and Hunter are the backup. Everyone, clear?" The agents nod and set off to their positions. When the assault teams get into position, they are faced with a gruesome sight. The lab is surrounded by bodies of guards, all dead with their heads blown off. The building itself appears damaged by fire and explosions.

Meanwhile, the scientist is guiding her rescuer to the holding area where her daughter is being held. He kills any and all those who come in his way. The scientist, along with her daughter and the asset, slowly makes her way across the battle filled lab, but are stopped near the rear exit by a squad of soldiers in HYDRA tactical gear. From behind them steps out the man in charge, whom the former specialist recognizes as a HYDRA scientist. The man, claps his hands and says gleefully, "I'm impressed, Agent Ward. It's not often that a single operative survives against an entire army but you have done exceptionally good. I must say after the inhuman debacle with Mr Gideon I thought you were dead. But it seems you are alive and quite well, I see." The scientist pleads as her daughter hids behind her, "Please, Dr List. Don't harm my daughter. I'll finish the work, I promise." The man now identified as List says, "Oh please, call me Ernst, Dr. List was my father. We know that you will finish the work, Ms. Sofia. After all your daughter's life hangs in the balance. But I must thank the heavens for bring us our new test subject." The woman gains a expression of horror and disgust as the former specialist speaks up for the first time, " , I have no idea what you are talking about. I am Alex.." Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the HYDRA leader, "Porter. Yes Agent Ward, we know of your true identity, we also know that you used our dead drop. But it seems that your time of hiding has come to an end. When we finish what Agent Garrett started, you will be the perfect weapon. You will be HYDRA's perfect killer. Do you have any idea what we do here?" The former specialist just grunts as he is hit with the butt of a rifle and replies through gritted teeth, "I will never serve HYDRA and what ever you do I possibly couldn't care." Dr. List just tsks and says, "Oh but you will serve HYDRA and you should care because you are going to find out first hand. After SHIELD's glorious victory because of the avengers and the gifted twins, we realized that we were looking at the whole situation from the wrong perspective. SHIELD will always try to exterminate us but how will they do that if they are busy fighting against armies of supersoldiers? This is getting boring, time to make it interesting." Saying so the man shoots the former specialist with a strange looking gun as the scientist screams, "No". The former operative barely flinches as his body is slowly covered in a grey cocoon.

The agents battle their way through the remains of HYDRA's armies. The agents of SHIELD clear the building slowly only to find a strange scene. Several men and women in HYDRA tactical gear surround a woman and her child. Next to the woman is an inhuman cocoon. While the agents are looking at the scene, several other HYDRA agents surround them from back and they are led to the center and relieved of their weapons. The captured agents are made to kneel on the floor with their hands up as they are surrounded by HYDRA operatives.


	9. A Meeting With The Fates

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**A MEETING WITH FATE  
**(3rd Person)

In the magnificent palace of Lord Order, three women are seen appearing in a flash of light. They bow down to the creator and Decima asks, "Lord Order, what has happened to your plan? Why has the fate of the boy been changed again?" The creator looks confused for a second before clutching his head. After a few tense moments, he regains his regal posture and says, "Decima, it appears that my other persona will not relinquish control easily. It fights me every second. It used it's depleting reserves of strength to send someone to guide the boy. The boy is now under the influence of Chaos and will not be able to achieve his destiny until he is free of it." Nona asks, "How do we free him of it, my lord?" The creator replies, "It will not be easy. I cannot interfere directly without affecting the universe, neither can you without affecting fate itself. Neither can Prometheus as he must maintain his status and trust amongst the Titans. The only thing we can do is send someone to guide him as well. Whomever we send, must be able to break the influence the Chaos agent has on him." Morta then asks, "But whom do we send, lord Order?" Lord Order looks straight ahead for a minute almost as if seeing into the future, before saying, "Discuss this with the Olympians and select someone capable. But do not mention the details to anyone other than the chosen one. Be careful, Parcae. The future depends on this." The Parcae bow to the creator and disappear in another flash of light. The creator sighs deeply before his form shimmers ever so slightly and turns into that of a man with a maniacal glint in his eyes. The man's menacing laugh echos through the empty palace before he raises in the air, clutching his head and muttering incoherently.

**On Mt. Olympus**

Jason POV:

It's been almost 3 decades since my brother went missing. After a decade of his absence, the Gods decided that the demigods would be offered partial immortality in case we wished to see the return of our brother/friend. Most of us including me, Reyna, the legion's centurions have chosen to remain partially immortal and serve Rome while we await the return of our brother/friend. My brother's supposed lover, Alexis, joined the Hunteresses of Lady Diana, awaiting his return. For some reason, Lady Diana has become extremely irritable and angry since then. Nowadays even the huntressess sometimes fear their patron. The Gods haven't had any demigods since my brother's capture and thus all of the demigods, both Roman and Greek, have been made partially immortal to maintain the forces of New Rome. After all these years, the Gods have summoned us to the city of Novae Romae for a seemingly important meeting. When I reach the marvelous gates of the throne room, I see the Greek demigods standing to the right of the room. Reyna and I lead the legionnaires to the left of the room and we await the commencement of the meeting.

Diana/Artemis POV:

_Ugh. Stupid idiot. How long will he be gone? Just because he is immortal doesn't mean he should take his own sweet time to complete his 'journey' or whatever. To make things worse, the daughter of Poseidon has joined my huntressess, so she could await his return. She is so annoying, she constantly talks about her dreams of him and doesn't even realize that she is supposed to have given up love and turn her back on any romantic relationship. But no, she had to join the hunt and ruin my plan that her mortality_ _would stop them. Now I am stuck with another constant reminder of him but unlike the other reminders, this one just makes me angry that he could possibly choose her. Well, it seems that he is finally ready, the Parcae have requested us to summon the demigods and hunters for the Annual Equinox council._

I flash in with the hunt, with my new lieutenant, a daughter of my brother, at the lead. All the Gods, major and minor, along with all the demigods are present. The last people to arrive are my father and stepmother. They and my uncle look excited yet nervous, almost anxious. After a minute silence, my father announces, "Welcome Olympians, Gods and demigods. We are gathered here today at the behest of the noble Parcae, who wish to discuss certain issues with us." At that moment, the Parcae flash in leaving the Greek demigods confused while the Roman demigods instantly bowed on one knee. The Parcae acknowledge the Gods and signal the demigods to rise, before saying, "Greetings, Gods and demigods. We come bearing grave news. The legendary Filius Deorum who was captured by the Titans is now in grave danger. His mind is being influenced and he is on the verge of losing himself." The second the Parcae say those words, the throne room becomes agonizingly quiet.

Jason POV:

The agonizing silence in the throne room is broken by Lord Neptune as he asks, "Miladies, what do you mean he is losing himself? Is he alright?" The Parcae look at the Lord of the seas sadly and say, "No, He is not alright. His mind has been addled after the experiences he has had. His torture was entirely psychological. He has experienced and remembers nothing but loss, pain, agony and sorrow. He is in a dark place, losing something vital for existence." The Parcae are interrupted by Lady Vesta as she disbelievingly says, "No. He cannot be losing hope. Can he? He is a strong warrior with a heart of gold, he wouldn't give up so easily." The Parcae sigh deeply before saying, "It is true. He loses hope by the minute. He is still fragile from the horrors he has had to endure. But he can still recover." Once again the room falls into a deep silence. A silence that is broken by light sobs from the stoic Lady Juno. The Greeks are murmuring amongst themselves while most of the legionnaires, including me, have tears in their eyes. _This is my fault. I could have saved my brother but I failed him. _Suddenly the ground shakes violently and the air becomes humid, I look around to see a furious Alexis glaring at the Parcae as she says, "This is all your fault. You knew where he has been all along, we could have saved him that day itself. But you insisted that he complete his journey to achieve his destiny and look where that got him." For a minute all of us including the Gods are stunned speechless as a mere demigod yelled at the Parcae, the controllers of fate itself. Most of the Gods nod their heads showing their agreement with her argument but for some reason Lady Diana looks furious. _Right, the hunters aren't supposed to be in any kind of romantic relationship. Well, dear brother, if no, when you return, you will have an angry goddess to deal with. _After Alexis calms down a bit, the Parcae reply, "We are sorry, young one. But like we said before, he must complete his destiny. We have come here today, not to retrieve him but to simply help him heal enough to continue his journey. It's is vital that he fulfills his destiny." For a minute, the room is silent before multiple protests are heard. The loudest of them being Lady Juno whose tone instantly silenced the rest. Lady Juno shouts, "No. I will not stand by and watch my son be tortured. He has done enough for the welfare of others. He has fought wars for and denied immortality for the welfare of others. If he doesn't care enough for himself then I will. He is coming back to heal. He shall stay here on Olympus and recover in our care." The Parcae merely sigh again before saying, "Juno, we cannot permit his return. But that's why we are here, he requires help and we wish to send send someone to guide him and help him. Only when he is healed, can he fulfill his destiny. Now we are here to discuss who should be sent." Instantly several hands go up, the most notable of them being Father, Lord Neptune, Lady Juno, Lady Venus, Lord Mars, Lady Chione, Lady Trivia and several other Gods. While I, Reyna, Alexis and a few other legionnaires raise our hands. Immediately an argument begins, Lord Neptune and Father both say at the same time, "He is my son, so as his father it is my duty to care for him." Lady Juno interrupts them both saying, "Excuse me, you might both be his father, but you are kings of your domains, so you are needed to run your domains. Besides I am his mother and I know what is best for him." Lord Mars interjects, "But mother, you are the Queen of the skies. You have to be at father's side to aid him and besides brother was a legionnaire, so he falls under my domain." The arguments are interrupted by Alexis who shouts, "Wait. Aren't the Gods bound by ancient laws? So they can't interfere in the mortal world, where he currently is." _This is my only chance to go help him. _I gather up some courage and say, "Yes. While the Gods are bound by ancient laws, my brother doesn't yet remember Alexis. So it would be best if I go. I am his brother and we have grown up together since the day we arrived to be trained by Lady Lupa at the wolf house. I failed to save him once already, atleast let me help him." Alexis looks like she wants to strangle me. I don't really blame her. But I can't let my brother suffer alone somewhere after being tortured. Lady Venus speaks ups, "While it is all very good that he has such helpful family members, he is in a heartbroken condition with no support. As the Goddess of love, I can help him heal his heartbreak and gain hope."

Immediately Lady Juno responds, "Please Venus, we all know you lust for my son. You will do nothing to help him, you will simply prey upon him in his weakened state. I have warned you before and I warn you again, stay away from my son." Before the argument could get any uglier, Lady Diana interjects, "I'll do it. I am unbound by the Ancient laws and he is my friend. He has helped in my time of need before and it's time I return the favor." _What the Styx? Lady Diana openly claimed him as her friend. Granted there were rumors from the hunt but this just confirms it. So how many of those rumors are true? _The entire throne room falls silent as murmurs spread across the room between the minor Gods and demigods. The huntresses look shocked while the Greeks look scandalized. However a group of former huntresses and their husbands have smug smiles on their faces. Lady Juno raises an eyebrow and asks, "Diana, do you speak the truth? Do you really wish to help my son?"

Alexis POV:

_I am so angry right now. I thought the whole 'stranger friend of Lady Artemis/Diana thing' was a stupid rumor created by some former hunters or atleast thats what I was told. Apparently it's true and the infuriating part is that that friend is none other than my soulmate. Granted I have never met him but the dreams are becoming more clearer, I have literally seen his life from the moment he set foot in the wolf house to his fight with Atlas. _Now Lady Artemis/Diana whatever cooly announces that Aaron is her friend. _The rumors weren't just about friendship either. How much of it is true anyway? She always gets angry with me whenever I talk about Aaron and my dreams. But she hid the fact that Aaron is her friend. Why? Her reputation? Ugh Gods are so annoying. _Before I can ask Lady Diana anything, Lady Juno questions her, "Diana, do you speak the truth? Do you really wish to help my son?" All the Gods look between Lady Diana and Lady Juno curiously, as Lady Diana replies, "I do not lie, Lady Juno. Aaron and I have been friends ever since he freed me from the Titan's curse. I may despise despicable baseless men but I have no animosity against someone who is honorable and a true friend." Lord Jupiter smiles and says, "Thank you, daughter. I am happy that you are friends with your brother. However we must ask the Parcae for their opinion." He turns to the Fates Or Parcae and asks, "Noble Parcae, whom do you wish to send to help my son? And how do we help him?" The Parcae look at the Gods and demigods assembled before saying, "Very well, we wish to send Diana to help him. While he is no doubt tortured and in pain, he is also scared and frightened. He must be protected from those who seek to harm him. Diana can send a portion of her consciousness as a mortal, to aid him while still being able to carry out her godly duties. As for how to help him, we cannot reveal that to anyone other than Diana yet. So return to your duties and have faith in Diana, that she will help him heal. We will inform Diana of the specifics after this council ends." The Gods reluctantly agree and Lord Neptune looks at Lady Diana and says, "Thank you, niece. I am grateful to you. Please ensure that my son gets better and keep him safe. I have no doubt you will be able to help him."

Diana/Artemis POV:

After Uncle thanks me, Father rises from his throne and says, "The council is dismissed. Return to your duties, Gods and demigods." All the Gods flash out one by one and I head to the hunt. I approach my lieutenant and return to my Greek form. The hunters gather around me and instantly the lieutenant asks, "Lady Artemis, are you really friends with that boy?" _Ugh this is going to take awhile. I knew I shouldn't have announced it but if I hadn't I would have lost the chance to rescue him or worse he would have met the insufferable daughter of Poseidon and chosen her. Well it's time for the truth I guess. _My hunters are all looking at me so I reply, "Yes, I am friends with him. He is an honourable man and a good friend." One of the hunters asks, "Milady, but he is a boy?". I sigh before saying, "Do you not remember my teachings? I told you not to trust unworthy males not all of them. Now if you have no more questions, I must meet the Fates." The hunters merely nod their heads and bow before I flash them back to camp.

I flash to the cave of the Fates to see them as the Parcae and so I too revert to my Roman form. The Parcae turn to me and say, "Welcome Diana, there is much to be done." _Something is not right. If this was a simple rescue, they would have told me the location already. What has that Dumbo gotten himself mixed into now? _I bow down in respect and they ask me rise saying, "Before you ask, we didn't reveal this at the council as secrecy is essential for the success of this gambit. Contrary to common belief, the creator, that the Greeks worshipped as Chaos, never faded but simply fell into a state of slumber that let him become a dormant undercurrent guiding the very fabrics of the universe. The creator, like most of his creations, has 2 binary states of being or as it is referred to by the mortals, personalities. The primary personality, who was responsible for the creation of the universe and it's early eras of peace, is known as Lord Order. As the name suggests, the universe he created was a pristine example of structure and order. The very universe itself was guided into a beautiful semblance of hierarchy and structure by Lord Order. But after many eras, the dormant consciousness of Lord Order began to change. The order in the universe slowly began to descend into chaos. By the time humanity was created, the universe was engulfed in chaos. So mankind began to worship Lord Chaos as the creator and Lord Order was forgotten by most as the primordials fell into their dormant states. But after many eons, Lord Order's consciousness is gathering strength as his power grows. He wishes to regain control of the universe and let peace and harmony reign the universe. For his plans to succeed Lord Order has personally altered the fate of your friend to ensure that future. But unfortunately Lord Chaos has used his powers to send one of his minions to distract the boy. The minion of Chaos has successfully distracted him, now he is under the influence of Chaos. To break that influence and guide him will be your job. Do you have any questions?" _This is shocking to say the least. The creator has 2 personalities each warring with the other and the idiot is caught right in the middle, like this is a game of cosmic tug of war with him in the centre. So is he actually hurt? What is his condition? _Of all the questions in my mind, I voice the one that has me worried from the beginning of the council meeting, "So he is alright then? He isn't tortured or anything, right?" The Parcae stop their duties and look at me for a second before saying, "The state of the boy is much worse than you think."

3rd Person POV:

The Parcae narrate the brief overview of Lord Order's plan. They inform her of how humanity has come so close to creating their own Gods. The Parcae tell the moon goddess that they know her secret and are willing to let her find a loophole in her vows. They instruct her on how to slowly seperate a part of her essence and turn it into a mortal form. They advice her to refrain from using her godly powers as they would affect his memory. Finally after the Parcae disclose his location to the Goddess, the Goddess snaps her fingers and her newly created mortal counterpart vanishes in a swish of light. The Parcae warn her of the impending dangers to be faced by him due to Chaos and wish her luck before disappearing.

**Mortal **Diana/Artemis POV:

_OH he is going to pay for this. He is going to pay for all of this dearly. I have to track him and find him first. When he is free from the influence of Chaos, I am going to kick the immortal **** out of him. What the hell was he thinking? But first I need to find the minion of Chaos, so I can take him out. Then we can work on healing the idiot. Well Aaron, ready or not, here I come._


	10. The Soldier's Return-II

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**THE SOLDIER'S RETURN – II  
**(3rd Person)

The SHIELD agents could only watch as the mad doctor raved on and on as they were being held at gunpoint. The scientist meanwhile is comforting her sobbing daughter. The doctor finally calms down and asks in a silky voice, "Why, Director Coulson, how nice of you to drop by? You may not know me yet but I am honored to meet one of SHIELD's legends. I am Dr. Ernst List. Tell me what brings you here?" The director replies, "So you are the son of the infamous Dr. List. I wondered where you were, guess you are following in your father's footsteps. We came here to arrest you and take down your HYDRA faction." Dr. Ernst smiles and says, "With the inhumans, the world could be conquered but you simply offer them therapy. Their DNA holds the key to unlocking the greatest of powers and you simply 'index' them. That's why SHIELD fell _Director_, because you thought that HYDRA would just die out. You constantly underestimate your enemies and that will remain your undoing." Before he can continue, an enraged agent Johnson responds, "what gives you the right to do such horrific things to them? We have seen your security footage, we know the horrors you carry out here. Just because of a stupid name and a genetic modification, we are no less human than you are. When will you nazis ever understand?" The Doctor simply smiles and says, "Oh, such passion. HYDRA could use a passionate person such as yourself but you chose the sinking side." Before the argument could get any further, the director asks, "What did you do to him?" as he points to the grey coccoon. The doctor smiles maniacally and says as he is pointing to the cocoon, "we have created a serum to create an army of inhuman supersoldiers. HYDRA will finally wipe out SHIELD and establish a new world order. This is the first step in a climb to success." The scientist meekly interrupts, "The serum is not ready yet, the only remaining dose created was for a dormant inhuman gene. You used that on a person who might not be an inhuman. You are a monster." The doctor simply laughs in response while the inhuman agent points to the cocoon and asks, "Is that the navy asset?" The doctor replies, "Why, yes. That is the 'navy asset'. If he survives this, I expect your reunion to be rather amusing."

As he is speaking, the cocoon suddenly bursts open, slamming all the people in the room on the ground or the walls. The dust settles to reveal a huge man with dark hair crouched with one knee touching his chest. He stands to reveal a man clad in tactical military camouflage that is now tattered across the torso with a grey ski mask covering his face. Strapped to his vest are a tactical knife, 3 magazines of .50 cal bullets and 6 magazines of 30 caliber bullets. Holstered to his thighs are 2 glocks and slung across his back is a Barrett m107a1 and slung on his side is an AR15 rifle. Before the HYDRA agents could regain their composure, the SHIELD agents knock out all of them including the dumbfounded Dr. List. They turn their newly acquired weapons on the masked stranger. The inhuman agent slowly says, "Mr Porter, you don't have to be afraid of us. We aren't going to harm you. We simply want to help, can you stand up?" The stranger spoke in a strangely familiar voice, "No, no you don't. You simply want me dead." Before the director could question him, 2 gunshots resounded in quick succession across the room as the scientist and her daughter fell to the ground. Instantly the agents turn around to kill a lone HYDRA agent standing in the hallway with his gun aimed at the little girl. The agents turn back to see the stranger walking away with his back turned to them. Agent Johnson yells, "Wait. I promise we aren't going to hurt you. We just want to help you with your gift." The man replies, "You don't mean that, Agent Johnson. I am beyond help. The only thing I want is peace." The agents instantly level their weapons at the stranger's head as the inhuman yells, "How do you know my name? I never told you. I have never even met you." The man stops before saying, "I know all your names and yes, we have met before." He is interrupted by a gasp from Agents Fitz and Simmons as they make their way in through the rear exit along with the other members of the team. They instantly raise their icers as they see the ginormous masked armed stranger. Instantly the others raise their weapons as the stranger slowly turns around with his arms raised above his head. After another plea from Agent Johnson, the director asks authoritatively, " Porter, my name is Director Philip Coulson of SHIELD. I understand that this is much to ask but you must come with us. We would like to run some tests and ensure your safety before letting you free.".

The man simply sighs before saying, "I am sorry, sir. But I have standing orders to return to base. I have to notify my superiors on the developments that took place and submit my report to the OpNav. Any other questions you have, must be taken up with US OpNav." Simmons interrupts him asking, "Sir, you cannot possibly let a inhuman super soldier roam around. We don't even know what are his abilities. Is it wise to let him free?" The director speaks in his authoritative voice, "Lt. Cmdr. Porter, we understand that you are on mission but if you wouldn't mind, we would like to fly you back to base. We can accommodate your examination and also ensure that you don't fail to follow orders." Before the could respond, the wall explodes and a woman riding a black Ducati 1199 Panigale enters the room. She removes her helmet letting her brown locks cascade down to her shoulders. She is dressed in similar tactical gear to the Commander but is armed with only a knife, a glock and an AR15 slung across her back. Her emerald eyes scan the room before falling on the . For his part, the looks completely frozen in his position. He stares at the woman for a few seconds before whispering, "No". The perplexed agents of SHIELD keep looking between them in confusion while the director merely tries to recognize the familiar face of the woman. The woman clears her throat gathering the attention of all the assembled agents and says, "Director Coulson, under orders from the Secretary of the US Navy, I am here to ensure that _Commander_ Porter returns to base. He is to follow me, on his vehicle, to get to the extraction point. The Navy shall leave the matter of HYDRA for you to pursue since that has been deemed an internal power struggle within SHIELD." The Commander leaves the room heading towards the exit when the director questions the woman, "The Navy's files don't indicate that has been promoted yet. So who are you, Agent..?" The woman smirks before saying, "I am Lieutenant Forst, Naval Intelligence Analyst. Assigned to assist Commander Porter on his operations. Both Commander Porter and my files have been classified by the SecNav to prevent unauthorized access." The director's question is cut off by the entrance of the Commander on an identical bike. The director turns to the Commander and says, "Sorry, Commander Porter. We were unaware of your promotion. But we do hope we can schedule a meeting with you after discussing it with your superiors. We would still like to run those tests and try to help you." The commander nods and salutes before saying, "Of course sir." The commander then turns to the woman who flips her helmet shades down and they leave the building, leaving behind a group of stunned SHIELD agents and knocked out HYDRA operatives.

As the SHIELD agents board the 'Bus' with their prisoners in holding, the team members gather at the conference room for the debriefing. The first one to break the silence is the inhuman hacker who says, "Okay, so is it just me or did that commander sound really familiar? And he seemed really taken back to see that woman there. Should we follow them?" The brilliant engineer offers, "Yes, the Commander did sound familiar. Maybe he worked for SHIELD. He could be an ex SHIELD agent." The infamous mockingbird says, "No, all former SHIELD agents had to undergo massive amounts of scrutiny and testing to return to duty. The US Military is very paranoid about enemy agents infiltrating their ranks. They wouldn't have promoted him so quickly." The mercenary, Hunter, offers, "Maybe the woman is his ex. So he was shocked to see her. We'll never know till we actually meet him. I mean his face was covered, so we don't know how he looks." The enthusiastic biochemist, Jemma adds, "But we do know that he had extensive injuries in the past that lead to several scars across his sides, that were visible due to the tattered shirt. His body seemed to be regenerating but the scars were still there. The most distinctive being 4 scars on his side." The inhuman hacker teases her fellow agent, "Is that your way of saying that you were checking him out?" The inhuman hacker busrts into laughter as Jemma flushes a beet red that contrasts sharply against her pale skin and stutters, "What?.. No.. I wasn't checking him out. I was assessing him for any physical changes due to the serum" The laughter of the hacker stops when the director enters the room. He has a solemn expression as he takes his place at the table and addresses the agents, "From what I can gather, Commander Porter is a high level navy asset. The Navy is saying that regardless of what happened to him, he is one of theirs and they aren't going to hand him over. They will let their own medical teams look over him and if necessary hand him over to the ATCU. Since he is a commander, he cannot be summoned or arrested without proper warrants and such from the NCIS or the Military Police. So for now, we don't follow or track them" He then turns to the inhuman hacker and asks her, "But do what you can to find out more about this commander and the lieutenant. Something isn't right. I feel like I have seen that woman before but I don't know where. The rest of you can take the next few days off while Agents Morse, May, Mack and I interrogate the suspects." The agents then leave to perform their duties but no one notices a biochemist looking at the picture of the commander's companion before gaining a horrified expression.


	11. Epilogue

DISCLAIMER: As per international copyright laws, This is a work of fiction and contains characters from other copyright protected publications. Hence this disclaimer indicates that Percy Jackson and other copyright protected characters belong to Rick Riordan or their respective owners. The components of this work that I can take credit for are any additional characters and the plot created by me. Any offence to the reader is purely UNINTENTIONAL. Note: This disclaimer also pertains to the copyright protected characters belonging to any other franchises. All copyright protected characters mentioned or used in the book, belong to their rightful owners.

**EPILOGUE**

The story will be continued in the next work belonging to the series, 'The ICE Assassin'.

This work is a consolidated work that will be expanded shortly. However the next work in the series will be an unabridged version.

Any queries can be posted in the comments or via direct messaging. Hope you liked the first part.

Thank you for reading this work.


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